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Community Health Worker Program

The Community Health Worker (CHW) Program is founded on the collaboration of Intermountain Healthcare, the Utah Department of Health, the Utah Public Health Association, the Association for Utah Community Health (AUCH), and others. CHWs are lay health advisors, advocates, or patient navigators, and act as liaisons between their community and health and social services. They’re skilled laypeople who share cultures or similar life circumstances with their clients, which builds trust and helps as they educate, guide, and empower the people they serve to live the healthiest lives possible.

CHWs help patients set goals, arrange care, plan healthy meals, find time to exercise, and help them deal with the “real life” issues that keep them from staying healthy. They connect patients to health as well as social resources to improve patient care and lives. CHWs increase patient satisfaction and improve health outcomes.

CHWs are connected with professional development, training, educational, and networking opportunities to help them meet personal goals and the future healthcare needs of the state. CHWs are valuable to our communities and healthcare system. They help reduce the overall cost of healthcare in Utah by emphasizing prevention, as well as teaching proper health behaviors and use of healthcare services. They also improve access to healthcare, particularly among the underserved.

AUCH is currently employing 5 CHWs who are based out of Community Health Centers in high-need areas across the Salt Lake Valley.

This project was, in part, supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under U58CS06848, State and Regional Primary Care Associations. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.